Should I become a police officer or nurse or stick with it?

[Rally]

ATP CFI-I MEI 2400 TT 265 ME previous 135 experience. Should I stick this out and try to get hired by a regional? I have done VERY little flying in the past 2 years but I am current. I was thinking about becoming a police officer or nurse just for job stability and because I will never be out of a job. Any advice from anyone that has been there done that?

 

[Pickle]

Do both, if you can.

Heck, do all three. (OK, kidding......)

I know plenty of pilots who are also police officers or who have a nursing degree.

There is no reason you can't do both.

 

[eyeamthechosen1]

First thing is ONLY YOU can make that decision. People talk about the perks of the airline business LOL. If you want stability get out of this business because if your heart is not in it, eventually that is what your are going to do anyway. So you are better leaving now rather than wasting 3 years and then making a career change. Fly because you love not for the money or the prestige because the latter two are slowly getting chipped away. Remember with decisions come consequences and whatever decision you make you must be prepared to deal with the ramifications of that decision. And by the way police officers and nurses are not exactly on easy street either

 

[Captain Morgan]

My wifes a nurse and I used to be in law enforcement. I can't recall me ever worrying about my job. My wife works part time 2x12hr shifts a week with benefits that are great. She pulls in 35k part time and with my first year salary at 20-23k we need it. If I could stand the blood and guts, I'd be a nurse that works "per-diem." You're only required to work 4 shifts a month and you pick the days. The only catch to that is no bennies. Being a cop is a full time job though. My cousin was a 12 year cop in CA making 100k a year. He works for a great department though. I was working through college part time as a Community Services Officer (setting up radar trailers, working special events, traffic reports, etc...) at the same department making 40k. Not bad for a college kid. A lot of money to be made in the public service sector. Good luck! If you want to PM me I could fill you in more if you have any questions.

CM

 

[Max Q]

I come home from an extended 4-day to basic cable and a mediocre apartment because I have always enjoyed flying enough to make the sacrifices at home to continue doing what I love. The day I stop enjoying the regionals will be the day I quit and find a flying job elsewhere. Only you know what you really want.

-Brett

 

[CaravanMan]

Before you go the nursing route, two words: "Gastrointestinal Bleed." (Or should that be three words?) Oh man, that is the worst smell you can imagine. I don't know how our medics do it...foul!!!

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Nurse: better to treat a gun shot than have your gun shot treated....

 

[duck_killer]

If your an *********************************** become a cop.

 

[airplane wizard]

What about becoming a TSA agent?

 

[Secret Squirrel]

If your an *********************************** become a cop.

And if you are a scumbag who breaks the law all the time then you call cops names.

The above post is a drawback to being a cop. People either love you or hate you. And the majority that really hate you are because you gave them a traffic ticket they felt they did not deserve or in duck_killers case you were a child sex predator and were caught on an online sting.

 

[711-24-7]

ATP CFI-I MEI 2400 TT 265 ME previous 135 experience. Should I stick this out and try to get hired by a regional? I have done VERY little flying in the past 2 years but I am current. I was thinking about becoming a police officer or nurse just for job stability and because I will never be out of a job. Any advice from anyone that has been there done that?

If you can ask yourself a question that "Will I love this job ten or twenty years from now?" The pros and cons will exists with any jobs out there. It is up to you to make the decision and stick with everything that comes with the job. AS MUCH AS I LOVE MY FLYING JOB, if I had to do it again, I would spend all of my money to become a doctor or a chiropracter and eventually have my own small plane on the side and enjoy flying. Just my opinion, make your own decision!!!

 

[flyboyike]

I don't have the patience to be either a nurse or a cop. EMT was the best I could do, as far as public sector stuff.

 

[Rally]

If you can ask yourself a question that "Will I love this job ten or twenty years from now?" The pros and cons will exists with any jobs out there. It is up to you to make the decision and stick with everything that comes with the job. AS MUCH AS I LOVE MY FLYING JOB, if I had to do it again, I would spend all of my money to become a doctor or a chiropracter and eventually have my own small plane on the side and enjoy flying. Just my opinion, make your own decision!!!

I love flying I do not handle stress very well.....I am not talking emergencies, checkrides etc. Like for instance missing the last flight to commute to or from work. Or the instability of working hard showing up to work all to lose your job and go back to the bottom of the list, thats what bothers me. I think flying is a wonderful profession but while fun at the end of the day, its just that a job. I dream about being a airline pilot and its right there at my finger tips. I just don't want to invest any more time in something that might be futile, I am almost 28 and want to get married and start a family.
If I were single I'd probably take a job and move to the base.

 

[LearLove]

My 2 cents - go the police officer route, fly on the side and if available go into piloice aviation. From Pro Pilot mag it seems to be a growing segment of law enforcement.

I'm not a cop or nurse but have relatives who are cops and my mother (plus 3 aunts) has been a nurse since 1970.

One is a PHL detective (17 years) and the other is a state trooper (5 or so years). Both love the their jobs because its not regular 9-5 but complain just like every other joe schmoe. They make good cash have nice homes and their wives/kids are happy. They get to tell me good stories at xmas too.

The nurse thing is hard. While pay can be good I've really seen my mom slow down the past few years. Granted she has been in intensive care for 38 years almost all of it full time. She has been at the same hospital for the past 20 years so her sked is pretty good. no weekends and 3 days a week (12hr shifts) for 40 hours pay. its a tuff thankless job though. It is also in demand now because of the ageing boomers but what happens in 10, 15 or 20 years when the boomers and greatest generation is all dead - less demand. I always see bad guys around with the growing gap between the ritch and poor. Look at PHL for example - whenever the ecomomy craps or a rep is in office the city goes to sh1t like it have been for 8 years. Crime in PHL is thru the roof. they need cops bad.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Rally]

And if you are a scumbag who breaks the law all the time then you call cops names.

The above post is a drawback to being a cop. People either love you or hate you. And the majority that really hate you are because you gave them a traffic ticket they felt they did not deserve or in duck_killers case you were a child sex predator and were caught on an online sting.

The way I've always seen it the law is the law, its not like we didn't know that it was illegal to be doing 75 in a 55. Most cops I've seen if you treat them with respect are very understanding and normally cut you a break.

 

[Rally]

My 2 cents - go the police officer route, fly on the side and if available go into piloice aviation. From Pro Pilot mag it seems to be a growing segment of law enforcement.

I'm not a cop or nurse but have relatives who are cops and my mother (plus 3 aunts) has been a nurse since 1970.

One is a PHL detective (17 years) and the other is a state trooper (5 or so years). Both love the their jobs because its not regular 9-5 but complain just like every other joe schmoe. They make good cash have nice homes and their wives/kids are happy. They get to tell me good stories at xmas too.

The nurse thing is hard. While pay can be good I've really seen my mom slow down the past few years. Granted she has been in intensive care for 38 years almost all of it full time. She has been at the same hospital for the past 20 years so her sked is pretty good. no weekends and 3 days a week (12hr shifts) for 40 hours pay. its a tuff thankless job though. It is also in demand now because of the ageing boomers but what happens in 10, 15 or 20 years when the boomers and greatest generation is all dead - less demand. I always see bad guys around with the growing gap between the ritch and poor. Look at PHL for example - whenever the ecomomy craps or a rep is in office the city goes to sh1t like it have been for 8 years. Crime in PHL is thru the roof. they need cops bad.

Just my 2 cents

I'd love to get into aviation part of LE. Especially flying helicopters which is something I'll probably never be able to rationalize (the expense) otherwise. Plus still flying and you don't have to deal with as many deadbeats.

 

[DOVPILOT]

they need cops bad.

Being a philly cop ( or any inner city cop) has got to be the most dangerous job in the US. I think with the onslot of cancer and other diseases being a nurse would be the way to go.

 

[Captain Morgan]

I flew a Lear with a guy who was not only a Philly cop at one point in his career, he was a door gunner on a Huey in Vietnam. The fact that he was still alive made me reassured I was in the right cockpit.

CM

 

[rickair7777]

I flew a Lear with a guy who was not only a Philly cop at one point in his career, he was a door gunner on a Huey in Vietnam. The fact that he was still alive made me reassured I was in the right cockpit.

CM

There's no better guarantee of survival than a track record of survival.

 

[Rally]

I've flown with a vietnam vet one of the best pilots I ever have flown with. Quirky slightly but I would have been too, he has some stories.